Motivation and the maths gender gap

Dr Sarah Buckley explores gender differences in maths with research from neuroscience, psychology and education. The problem with girls and maths Educational research reveals significant differences in the ways that Australian girls and boys engage with maths. Australian girls are less likely than boys to be interested in maths, according to results from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which measures the mathematics, science and reading literacy and attitudes of more than half a million 15-year-olds worldwide every three years. A smaller proportion of girls think maths will be important for future studies or careers, while girls also report significantly higher levels of anxiety about maths and significantly lower levels of confidence than boys (Thomson, DeBortoli, & Buckley, 2013). PISA also shows that girls in Australian schools also have…